Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-11-30

Within the last year he has found il
possible to return to bis early love. The
defects to be overcome in the original
phonograph were: Q) Want of distinct
meas in articulation CO certainty of an
( impression upon the foil or other mate
rial used. the old monograph requiring
/ O man 10 shout into Il in order to get
anything back (3) the impoSsibihty oil
making the phonograph repeat the same
sentence more than two or three times,
the necdle-point rapidly effacing al
the marks upon the foil a.
the uncertainty of hand movement
or clock movement for motion
power. OF course the phonograph
which gives out a sentence must run al
exactly the same speed at which it re-
corded the original sounds or else
these sounds will be distorted il
the most extraordinary fashion. Every
one of these defects Edison sue
ceeded in overcoming. His present pho
nograph occupies less space than type
writer, and can be manufactured for sale
at about $50. He uses a simple form OF
an electric motor, requiring only four
cells of a simple battery. 1t works
without noise and requires so little pow
er that the batteries will run for a month
without change. and will run the motor
four or five hours day.
PHONoGRAM or WAX.
In Edisons laboratory, which he is
now finishing at a cost Of nearly a quar-
ter OF million of dollars, and which
will he the most perfect affair of its kind
in the world, the phonograph stands on
a table with the battery cells underneath.
4 little switch causes the motor to begin
revolving at the rate of eighty rey0lu-
tons minute. 1t makes no noise,
and will bc covered up in the finished
instrument. As soon rs it starts a wax
roller may be placeG upon the meta
one and the impinging diaphragm
brought to bear upon the wax; the
second the needle point touches the wax
a low singing sound can be heard from
the diapheram. This shows that all is
ready. The speaker can then talk to the
/ photograph. muing a small mouthplece.
( On a cylinder of Wax four inches long
by one and a quarter inches in diameter
( 500 words can be marked. The line OF
dots is in a spiral round and round the
cylinder. No shouting is necessary
merely a clear and distinct tone.
TO illustrate how perfectly this pho
nOgraph gives back what is said to it
4 LEFT the room while Edison read out to
the photograph a long list of geographic
cal names Of the different points con-
nccted by certain electric table, and
upon coming back to the room listened
and repeated what ] heard. At first,
owing to an accident to one Of the adj
lusting screws, nothing but confused
/ tumble resulted when this was fixed
could distinguish nineteen words out of
twenty, and when the room was quiet,
which was not always the case, as work
men were busy all over the building.
could make out every syllable. Edison
himself, after IA number of experiments
in the quiet Of his own house, has no
hesitation in saying that it will be posi-
bic to use the phOnograph constantly as
a reader for party of people sitting
around a table, but of course the ut
most silence must be preserved. He has,
although he is slightly deaf, heard whole
sentences distinctly at distance of five
feet when a good funnel was used which
maenitied the sound.
Another experiment was then made
with an acquaintance of mine, who was
asked to step out of the room while one
of Eds ms assistants read ont Il whole
page from " Nicholas Nickelby.' Upon
coming back the listener, notwithstand-
ing that the photograph was rather ont
of gear owing To a partial dismounting
this morning, repeated more than
80 per cent. of the words of the pho
nograph at the first hearing, using a
very defective oar-phOne, and at the
second hearing gave every word of the
original text. The reading was done in
an ordinary tone of voice and at the rate
Of 300 words a minute-as fast as a good
reader usually reads. 1t Is possible that
some persons may require little prac'
tice before they can catch every syllable
with distinctness. Even the best tele-
phones are not easily understood by
persons who are not accustomed to their
use. Any one who can understand a
telephone message will find no difficulty
in using the photograph.
Some experiments were then made to
show the marvellous faculty which the
photograph has Of repeating or giving
at the same time number of different
sounds. For instance, after reading
over a few lines from a newspaper, one
l. 1 ., f,,rp,1 sla ,,ho,a-
graph back and sang few lines of dog
/ gerel into it, then turned it back again
and whisted Hail Columbia" the
three communications being supeiim-
posed. The result was curious mix
( ture, the speaking, the singing, and the
whistling being perfectly distinguished,
and yet blended together. This show,
the ease with which the phonograph car
reproduce the music Of an orchestra
4 each of the instruments coming out dis
tinctly, aud the voice OF singers, if there
is also singing.
The cost of the phonograms, or little
wax cylinders upon which the phono-
graph traces its message, is naturally Of
/ interest. According to the present est
mates the phonograms will cost a6ou'
three cents apiece for four-lnch cylin
der and one cent apiece for One-incl
cylinder, upon which 200 words can be
written. These one-inch phonogrami
will be intended for ordinary bushes,
letters. Little wooden boxes, upon th,
cover Of which can be written the adj
dress, with room for the stamp
will be dscd for the mails. Edi
son expects TO get the Government
to carry these boxes at the same rat,
as ordinary letters. Mr.. Edison's device
for enabling the printer to set up typ
from the photograph message is sucl
that the monograph reads out ten words
at time when spring is touched.
the printer does not set up the ten word
he can touch pedal with his foot which
makes the monograph repeat the sam,
line over again. Edison confidently. be
lieves that the ponograph will do away
with the necessity of writing for thu
printer at all the editor aud the reporte
OF the future will talk TO the phonograpl
and send the phonogram up to the com
posiagroom.
Horrors OF a RefOrmafOry.
An INDIANAPOLIS sneciol saws. TO ne